The Cost of Love
by fictionadict24
Summary: Takes place after the prom finale. May contain spoilers.
1. Meltdown

The first thing he did was call Foss

The first thing he did was call Foss. "Foss, where is she?" he desperately asked.

"Who?" responded Foss, a bit clueless.

"Amanda. Where is she? I went inside to get her bag and when I came out she was gone."

Foss sighed heavily, "We'll find her don't worry."

For the second time in his life, Kyle could not think properly. He was responsible. Amanda was missing because of him.

"We have to find her Foss," he choked out, "I can't loose her."

"I'll be there in five minutes."

Mere seconds later Kyle's phone vibrated, the caller had no ID.

"Yes," he answered flatly.

"The girl is unharmed. You have sixty minutes to find her."

As the line went dead the lights above Kyle's head erupted into sparks and exploded as his system went into overdrive. His head swam and heart raced as the lights around him continued to explode. The entire block went dark.

He had just given her another detail about himself and her only reaction was to tell him that she was in love with him. Now she was missing. Was being in love with him going to be dangerous? Would her feelings for him change once she knew the whole truth?

Kyle did his best to push these thoughts to the back of his mind. He needed to find her and he would need a clear head.

Foss pulled into the pitch-black parking lot of the school. As Kyle got into the truck, he spotted his best friend. "Declan?" he asked in surprise.

"I thought you might need a change of clothes," said Foss blankly.

"What happened to the lights?" asked Declan.

"They called," said Kyle, who looked like he was ready to explode, just as the lights had. "We have fifty-five minutes and thirty seconds to find her. It is Latnok. It has to be."

Foss and Declan eyed Kyle knowingly. It was indeed Latnok, they were not going to sit back and wait for Kyle to be ready, as Baylin had asked. They wanted him now and were willing to go to any extremes to get him to cooperate.

As they drove, random lights continued to explode as Kyle's head swam.

"Kyle, buddy," urged Declan. "You've got to keep it together. You can't afford to lose it now."

Kyle felt like he was going to vomit. His life was over. He wanted them to put him back into the pod and leave him alone. All he had ever wanted was to be ordinary, to have a life like everyone else. Now the one person that mattered most was missing, and it was all because of him.

They arrived at the warehouse where Foss still had some of his equipment set up. Declan tossed a backpack at Kyle. "You get changed while Foss and I drag some stuff out. You don't want to screw your tux up."

Kyle looked down. He had not realized that he still had it on. He looked down at the bag that he still carried in his hand. It was Amanda's. Holographic memories swam back to the moment he first saw her in her prom dress. She was beautiful. He remembered dancing closely with her, stealing kisses in a dark corner while everyone else was in the gymnasium. Having her place her toes on his shoes so they would not get wet and her look of surprise and amazement when he lifted them up. The way she giggled as they slow danced, hovering a foot above he floor.

Suddenly the lights around the building began to spark and blink at random, a radio turned on in the background.

Foss looked worriedly at Declan.

"He's a mess," said Declan.

Foss looked back to Kyle, "Well he better pull it together soon, or we won't find her."

Declan approached Kyle, who was still standing there staring blankly at Amanda's bag.

"Kyle, Kyle. Kyle! Buddy, you need to snap out of it. The only way we are going to find her is if you stay straight."

Kyle looked up startled. "She told me she loved me and now she's gone," he said quietly.

Declan sighed," Well if want to hear it again, and maybe experience some of its benefits, you better get changed and get over here. The clock is ticking."


	2. Control

About ten minutes later Kyle had finally pinpointed the location of the call and they were back on the road

About ten minutes later Kyle had finally pinpointed the location of the call and they were back on the road. Within thirty minutes, they had found the property.

The iron gates opened at their approach so they drove forward and pulled up to the front entrance of an imposing building. At the desk, a heavily armed guard informed them that only Kyle was allowed to proceed from that point forward.

"It's ok," he told his friends. "They want me alive. I don't think they would harm their multi-billion dollar experiment."

Foss and Declan reluctantly agreed as Kyle stepped into the elevator. Upon reaching their destination, Kyle was shown into a dark conference room and left alone.

He focused on his surroundings. He could sense the rooms' security cameras. There were also at least a dozen people watching him in close proximity, probably behind mirrored glass somewhere above.

"I know you are here," he called. Why won't you let me see you?" He had known the answer already. They were scientists. They wanted to keep themselves impartial, not to know their experiment as a person.

A voice came over a speaker system. "Your friend is located somewhere in this building. Can you locate her?"

In different circumstances, Kyle would not stoop to humor these cold-hearted individuals. For Amanda, he would do anything they asked of him. He was certain they were counting on just that.

Again, he focused on his surroundings. Sensing each heartbeat until he came to the one he listened to each night before falling asleep. Just as when he was in Zzyx, a holographic diagram appeared within his minds eye. He knew this building, or at least, Adam knew this building. He must have given him the information years ago, knowing he would someday need it.

"Amanda is located in a small room, three-hundred forty seven feet south-west of my current location. I need to take the elevator down two levels, pass through five doors and three hallways. I will come in contact with five people along the way."

He felt several of the heartbeats increase with excitement. One was abnormal.

"Just to let you know, the male who is to my right and has a pacemaker, it is off by .73 milliseconds. At its current rate of deterioration it will fail in eight months, twelve days, four hours and ten minutes."

Now he felt several more of the heartbeats race. The person with the pacemaker's began to beat even faster.

He felt he had performed enough for these people, so he used his abilities to raise the lights within the room. This illuminated the theater seating above him where the members of Latnok sat.

He looked up at them, "I am going to get Amanda, and we are leaving this building immediately. If you want to meet me, you can approach me like civil human beings. I am not a lab rat to be run through courses. You can talk to me in person or I will not cooperate at all."

The lights began to flicker, some of them exploded in a shower of sparks around him. "AND YOU WILL NOT INVOLVE MY FAMILY OR MY FRIENDS AGAIN!" he shouted. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself.

"If any of them are harmed or even contacted, I will do everything within my power to destroy Latnok. I did it to Madacorp I can do it to you as well."

With that, he focused on the locking mechanism in the door and released it. He made his way through the building to where he knew Amanda was located. They must have sedated her because her heartbeat was at rest. He would carry her out of here if he had to. All he knew was that by the end of the night, he would tell her everything. Hopefully, her feelings for him would not change.

Back in the conference room, the members of Latnok remained seated. Silently they watched as Kyle made his way to Amanda, unlocking doors and deactivating alarm systems. They watched with great anticipation as Kyle pondered over a gate that was blocking his way. There was almost a round of applause when he pulled open a control panel and easily manipulated the gates operating system.

Within minutes, he had found her. She was still in her prom dress, asleep on a hospital type bed.

He approached her sleeping form and sat down upon the bed next to her. Delicately he moved a stray strand of blond hair from her face. He placed a chaste kiss upon her lips. Hoping that it would not be the last time he was able to do so.

"Amanda," he whispered, so not to startle her. He stroked her face again, "Amanda, you need to wake up."

Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled. "Kyle?" she questioned as she looked around. "Where am I?"

"You are in Latnok," he said with a re-assuring smile, trying not to upset her. "I am going to take you home now."

"Latnok?" she said as she tried to sit up. "What's Latnok?" she asked starting to sound a bit worried. "What am I doing here?"

"All I can tell you right now is that they wanted to talk to me but, I told them I wouldn't talk under these circumstances. Let's get you out of here and I will explain everything in the car."

Amanda tried to stand up but swayed back down again. "I'm a bit dizzy," she said as she held her head.

"Don't worry," he said as he scooped her up into his arms. "I've got you."

Back in the conference room, the lead member of Latnok switched off the security monitors, "Just as we had anticipated."

All heads nodded in agreement. "The girl may turn out to be just what we need to motivate our subject," said one of the members.

"Shall we activate phase three?" asked the lead member.

Again, all heads nodded in agreement as the cameras switched on again to reveal Kyle carrying Amanda down the hallway, they continued to watch in silence.

As he exited the elevator, Foss and Declan looked worried.

"Is she all right?" they asked.

"She's fine, they must have given her enough sedative to keep her out for the entire night. She fell back to sleep about five minutes ago. Let's just get going, I'll tell you everything in the car.

Declan took the front seat as Kyle kept Amanda in his lap in the back. He was not about to let her go. He had a horrible feeling that his relationship with her would soon be over once she knew the whole truth about him.

Half-way there she awoke again. "Kyle?" she asked as she lifted her head from his shoulder.

"Right here," he said as he gave her a re-assuring hug.

"Who is Latnok?" she asked with a bit more clarity.

"Why don't I start at the beginning," he said as he took a deep breath. "I want you to know everything."

Amanda slid down next to Kyle, looked up at him, and began to listen to his story. She blinked tears away several times. Especially when he told her about the pod, and how he spent the first sixteen years of his life encased in the embryonic fluid, hooked into the Zzyx mainframe. How he learned about life and love from the Trager family. How she was his first kiss and how he had loved her before he even knew what it was.

He sat there and watched as she took it all in. He handed her his handkerchief so she could wipe away her tears.

"Why did you feel that you had to wait until now to tell me all of this," she asked quietly as she looked deeply into his eyes. "Didn't you think I would understand?"

"I was afraid that you wouldn't care about me if you knew who I really was. I still…"

He was cut off when Amanda pulled him down into a heart felt kiss. "Kyle, I care about you because you are the kindest, most caring person I know. You make me feel like I am the most special person in the room, no matter where we are, or who we are with. I am always amazed at the way you look at me. You make me feel so wonderful, so loved. I have always feared that you would stop looking at me like that one day. That you would find something about me that annoyed you or made you care about me less. Here, you have been feeling the same way all along. Talk about irony."

She laughed then kissed him again. "Kyle Trager, all this tells me is that I get the privilege of being your first for everything and that you are even more special that I had ever thought before."

She reached over and smoothed her hand over his flat stomach where he should have a belly button. "You've always been special to me Kyle. I am glad that you have finally told me the entire story. I am just a little disappointed that it took something like this to bring it out."

Kyle started to protest, he wanted to tell her that he was going to give her all the pieces of the puzzle, just in small doses. He had been so afraid of losing her.

"Amanda's eyes brightened as she realized something. "Jessie!" she exclaimed. "She's just like you isn't she?"

Kyle nodded his head, looking embarrassed.

Amanda continued, now very excited, "So the whole stomach thing was…"

He interrupted, "Us figuring out the truth about each other. She is just like me. Her mother Sarah and my biological father Adam Baylin are sort of like us. We were created from their genetic material."

She reached over, hugged him tightly, and kissed him soundly on the lips.

Kyle laughed, "I am glad you understand."

"So Jessie is sort of like your sister, right? I mean you two look so much alike."

"Well, I guess" he chuckled. "Maybe a half sister, I don't know who my genetic mother is. It might just be Sarah. I'll have to ask Adam."

"Oh, Kyle that the most wonderful thing I have ever heard!" she squealed again as she hugged him.

He thought for a minute. "You mean you were more concerned about the fact that Jessie and I might have been attracted to each other, rather than the fact that I was developed in an embryonic pod?"

"Hey, pods I can handle. We all have strange parents, look at my mother. If she could, she would keep me in a pod," she giggled as the image formed in her head.

Kyle laughed and hugged her tighter, relieved that she finally knew the truth about him and that everything between them was still ok.

Amanda leaned her forehead against his. "I love you, Kyle. That will never change, no matter what."

"I love you to Amanda," he said and for the first time since this whole thing started, he relaxed and pulled her close for another kiss.

When she started feeling a bit dizzy from the lack of oxygen she broke the kiss and smiled coyly up at him."

"What is that look?" he curiously asked as he noticed the spark in her eyes.

"Just thinking about all the fun things that I get to teach you. I never imagined that I would be the experienced one in a relationship. It feels pretty good."

Kyle smiled widely as he realized the meaning behind her mischievous smile. Amanda knowing his secret suddenly looked like it was going to be a lot of fun.


	3. Morning Revalations

The next morning, Kyle sat in his tub contemplating his next move

_**AN: Time for a little romance. Just a short break to lighten it up a bit. Anyone interested in a beta job? (Someone to reread and check for grammar, etc) **_

The next morning, Kyle sat in his tub contemplating his next move.

Should he?

She might laugh at him.

He was a seventeen-year-old guy. He really should know half of these things by now. The problem was he had spent the first sixteen years of his life in a pod. He was clueless. She would understand, wouldn't she? _How to get to second base_ was not exactly a part of the Zzyx mainframe.

Shouldn't his relationship with Amanda be getting a bit more _hands on_?

He certainly wanted it to. During one of his and Amanda's more intense make out sessions, his hand had drifted under her tank top and found the silky smooth skin of her midriff. If all those car alarms hadn't gone off, he might have been brave enough to move his hand from the spot where he had anchored it. He had frozen as soon as he had felt the heat of her skin. Well at least his hands had, other parts of his anatomy had a mind of their own.

He decided to be brave and venture upstairs to Lori's room. He found her at her desk studying for a final exam.

She saw him in the mirror, "I know that look, and it has Amanda written all over it. Come into my office," she said as she patted the bed behind her.

"IthinkAmandawantstogotoabasebutIreallydon'tknowwhatthatis," he rushed out.

"Ok, now try saying that and breathing at the same time," she teased.

Kyle took a deep breath, "You said that it might be time that my relationship with Amanda get a bit more hands on. Then Josh started talking abut going to second and third base with Andy. Well you know, I told Amanda everything last night. Well what I did not mention this morning at breakfast was that she told me that is excited about the things she gets to teach me. And now, I am completely confused and afraid that I am going to make all kinds of mistakes."

When he was done, he stared directly at her. Waiting for his sister to, yet again, educate him on the mysterious ways of females and dating.

Lori tried to hide her smile. Like everyone else, she was excited that he had _finally_ told Amanda the truth. This would make life a whole lot easier, and she did have to admit, she always found it incredibly cute when Kyle was confused. It was usually about Amanda. She loved it that she could help her super-human brother in this one aspect of his life.

"Well, you know that we are all excited for you two, now that you got the 'I love you's' out of the way and she is in on the big secret. I just can't get over that even after all of that, you two still haven't moved past first base." she grimaced. "Yikes, how puppy-love-ish."

Kyle looked even more confused. What did puppies have to do with him and Amanda's physical relationship? "It's an expression right?" he asked.

She nodded her head, "Well, on to bigger and hopefully more exciting things." She got up and walked around a bit, trying hard to think of a way to explain this without completely freaking him out. BOOKS! Aha, the solution to her problem.

She knelt over at her bookcase and started taking out romance novels. Once she had accumulated a good pile, she went over to her closet and pulled out a box. From this, she took out several large books and a few DVDs.

She piled them all upon her bed, "Here," she said with a satisfied grin. "Some light reading," she chuckled. "Josh has probably read most of these. If not, give them to him when you are done." She looked at him sternly, "And I want them returned in the same condition."

Kyle looked confused again, "Why would I damage a book?"

"Just tell our little brother Josh, those exact words," she started.

"Did I hear your melodious voice bellowing my name?" said Josh sarcastically as he peeked into the room. He looked over to the pile of books in front of Kyle.

"Ah, the Lori library, I've read most of them. Good stuff." He looked closer at the pile and got excited. "But, not those! Jackpot!" He picked up the copies of _Joy of Sex_ and _Fabulous Foreplay_. "Where have you been hiding these precious gems?"

Lori grabbed the books back from him. "These are for Kyle. You may have them when he is done. So paws off."

She looked at Josh a bit more seriously, the typical sister threat of death look, "and I want them returned in the same pristine condition. No," she shuddered, "extra markings or stains, got it!"

Josh looked serious then raised his left hand and did the peace sign, "scouts honor."

"You were never a scout, you moron," laughed Lori.

"Well," he huffed in mock hurt, "I know when I am not wanted." He got up and started out of the room. "I'm meeting Andy for lunch. Check ya later."

Once he had gone, Lori peeked out the hallway to make sure he was out of hearing distance. She closed her door then went back over to the box in the closet. She pulled out three DVDs. "These are for educational purposes only. So do not give them to Josh just yet. He needs to grow up a bit before he can handle them."

Kyle read the titles, "The Better Sex Video Series, Sexplorations," his eyes grew wide. "Are these, what I think they are?"

"No, it is not porn, ya big jerk. They are educational." She looked at him, "Make sure you are alone and will not be disturbed. Trust me; they will answer most of your questions, thoroughly. You and Amanda are not ready for half of that stuff, but it will catch you up on what most guys your age have scene, done or heard about."

"Did you and Declan?" he asked.

"That is none of your business, and if you tell him that I let you watch these I will tell Amanda every embarrassing secret I know about you."

Kyle looked well warned. "Will do, I mean won't do."

"Good enough," she smiled and stacked the books into his arms. "Now go and lock yourself away for a few hours or minutes, or however long it takes you to read them all. I suggest you wait until after everyone has gone to sleep to watch the DVDs, and keep the volume low."

O O O

Kyle sat in his tub and started flipping through the novels. They were all pretty much the same. Girl meets boy, girl gets mad at boy, and boy grovels until girl wants him back. Some of it was interesting and he got some good ideas for future dates with Amanda. He certainly got a better understanding of what a girl thinks is romantic. Candlelight, flowers, dancing and expensive presents. He would have to figure out a way to earn some money if he wanted to take her out on any of the elaborate dates described in the books.

He picked up a book entitled _Sari Says: The Real Guide on Everything from Sex to School_; it was a real eye opener. Was this what he could look forward to with Amanda? Did she want to do some of these things with him? Had she done any of them before? Their relationship seemed almost platonic compared to what the book discussed.

He could not help it. His imagination took over and all he could do was think about Amanda. He closed his eyes as images of them entwined overwhelmed him.

He had no idea how long he sat there, but he now felt someone gently kissing his lips. He opened his eyes to see Amanda sitting next to him on the edge of his tub. He stared at her, his heart rate increased dramatically as he felt the blood rushing to his face as well as other parts of his anatomy.

As he focused upon her, he noticed that her cheeks were turning a pale pink as her heart rate climbed and her body temperature rose.

It was if a magnet was pulling them as they came together in one of the most passionate kisses they had ever experienced. Amanda slid gently into the tub as the kiss deepened, each of them trying their hardest to pull the other as close as possible.

Outside, an entire block of car alarms broke the silence of the day.

As the couple stopped to catch their breath, Amanda asked, "What did you do?"

"What?" he asked, not wanting to take his thoughts away from the amazing kiss they had just shared.

"When I walked in, you looked asleep so I sat down next to you. I couldn't resist, you looked so cute that I had to kiss you." She reached up and kissed him again.

"Then you opened your eyes and looked at me with such intensity. After a few moments, I thought I was going to spontaneously combust. I have never felt that way before, there was this amazing tingling sensation in the bottom of my stomach, like butterflies but a thousand times better."

Kyle had just finished reading about that very sensation. He was thrilled that he was not the only one who had felt it.

He looked down at his chest and realized that Amanda had snuck her hands under his shirt and had almost completely unbuttoned it. Her fingers were still circling in gentle caresses, drawing light designs that were driving his senses wild.

"Sorry," she blushed, "I guess I lost control again. You have the most amazing body," she said as she shyly undid his last button. She leaned down and placed a small kiss on his chest. "I have wanted to do that for a while." She continued to plant small kisses around his jaw line and neck. "I can't help it if every time I am around you, all I want to do is touch you."

He took a deep breath, "That feels really good," he said with a smile as he slowly moved his hands up around her back and under her shirt. Gently, he stroked his fingers across her soft warm skin, sending shivers through the both of them.

"How do you do that?" she asked.

"Do what?" he asked as he continued to enjoy the feel of her soft skin.

"Make me feel amazing with just the slightest touch," she said as she leaned in to kiss him. "Earlier, once you had opened your eyes, I could feel you focusing on me. It was like there a current was surging between us."

Now he knew he had to tell her. "Well after I told you everything last night, I thought that I should try to get a better understanding of, well of you."

"Kyle, you don't have to," she tried.

He chuckled, "No, let me finish," he said as he leaned up and stole another kiss. "I know you are willing to teach me everything. But I thought I should do some research of my own."

"Research," she said a bit curious. "What kind of research?" she asked warily.

"Lori lent me some books, romance novels mainly," he said and he pointed to the stack near his desk.

"You read all of them, this morning?" she asked. Then she realized, "I guess that is one of those special things you can do?"

He nodded, "They were ok. It was the last one that got me thinking about, well about us. You know, in that way."

He reached over the tub and grabbed the book. "You can read it if you want. I am sure Lori wouldn't mind."

"Maybe later," she said, blushing a bit more when she read the title. "Why don't we just continue what we had started, that is after you tell me what you did to make me feel that way."

"Well, you know how I can make things happen?" he asked. "If I focus, I can manipulate the molecules in things."

She nodded.

"When you came in and you thought I was asleep, I was actually just thinking about you." He was now really embarrassed, "You know, in that way. Well, when I opened my eyes and you were there, I must have transferred some of that energy to you when you touched me."

"You mean to say, that if you are really turned on, and we come in contact. That you are going to make me feel that way, every time."

Kyle shrugged. "Maybe, I guess so. Remember, I have never done any of this before. It is all new to me. I can try to control it, if it bothered you."

"Are you kidding me?" she giggled and kissed him again, "I am probably the luckiest girl on earth. How many girls have a boyfriend who can practically drive them to an …" she thought twice about using that next word. "Well, don't worry about it. The only thing I think we should focus on is you not setting off everyone's car alarms every time you get excited," she giggled as she nodded her head toward the window. "That has the potential to get ugly."

"Oh," he said a bit embarrassed as he noticed the noises from outside. "I guess I should work on that. You just make it very difficult for me to control myself."

She leaned in and kissed him, just as she had before. "Ditto," she said with a sly grin. Again, she felt a bit brave. "Just try not to control yourself too much. I sort of like that side of you."


	4. Fuse Boxes

AN: Thanks for all of the fabulous reviews and encouragement to continue with this story. This is just a bit of fluff I had on my computer.

It was a week before school let out and Kyle and Amanda were in his room enjoying some alone time. They were snuggled closely in his tub watching a movie, as always, Amanda was amazed by just how comfortable they could get in the large ceramic tub.

Being Kyle and Amanda, the family thought nothing of it. Nicole didn't even mind that they kept the door closed.

Kyle usually tried to pay attention to the movie, but he had seen Dirty Dancing twice and already had the movie memorized. He decided to partake in one of his favorite activities, memorizing Amanda. He already knew the location of every freckle on her face, neck and arms and from his current position he could see several new ones that he did not recognize.

He was looking down and placing soft kisses on the delicate slope of her neck, enjoying the view that it created when she arched her neck to give him better access.

He really hadn't intended it to go any further. He was just passing the time while she enjoyed her favorite movie. But within minutes, Amanda had turned herself around and was now seriously kissing him back. They had just recently moved to the next base and both were taking full advantage of it.

Neither of them noticed that the T.V. had gone off or that the lights were flickering.

Outside of Kyle's bedroom, Stephen, Nicole, and Josh had gathered. Each frustrated with the human super-conductor and his girlfriend on the other side.

"Kyle?" called Nicole through the door as she knocked.

Though equally frustrated, Josh couldn't resist the humor in the situation. He was practically breaking down with laughter.

"This is too priceless," he said between laughs. "I can't wait to see the look on Kyle's face."

They didn't have to wait long.

Kyle answered the door trying to look as composed as possible. Unfortunately in his haste he had pulled his t-shirt on inside out and backwards.

"Yes, Nicole," he said calmly. Amanda was in the background trying her best to seem interested in the movie.

"Um, Kyle," said Stephen.

Josh couldn't help it. He burst out laughing when he noticed Kyle's disheveled hair and shirt.

"Kyle," said Nicole gently. "You know we trust you and Amanda completely, and we know that nothing too serious is going on behind your closed door, but," she tried.

Stephen helped her finish, "Kyle, you're making all the lights in the house flicker again."

With this said, Josh couldn't resist, "Yeah, will you two cool it. I was just about to finally kick Andy's but in G-force and the T.V went out. Not cool bro."

Kyle wanted to crawl back into his room and hide. He had been trying so hard to keep his composure, but whenever he and Amanda got a bit too carried away he lost it.

He gave the typical, hurt puppy dog look, "I'll tell Amanda to go," he said in defeat.

"No, Kyle. She doesn't have to leave," said Nicole trying to keep from hurting his feelings."

"I can't believe this," cracked Josh, "I would be completely grounded by now and getting 'the talk' for the hundredth time. He's going to blow the house up and yet Amanda get's to stay. Total double standards. Harsh."

Nicole looked sternly at Josh, "Zip it Josh," she scolded. "This has to be a bit embarrassing for Kyle."

"Yeah, I would hate it if I sent out a beacon every time Andy and I made out. But you know what they say about the quiet ones. He and Amanda are both genius's. They're the ones you have to watch out for."

Kyle put his face in his hands. He loved his little brother, but now was not one of those times.

Stephen shot Josh a look, warning him to keep quiet. "Ok, I'm leaving," he said, then turned to go, "But if he blows up my Xbox I'm out for blood."

"Maybe you should do yoga or something," tried Stephen. "You know, work on your control," realizing what he just said he now looked mortified. "I can't believe I just said that." He looked over to Nicole, "I'm going to leave this in your capable hands before I commit another parental sin."

Stephen reached over and patted Kyle on the shoulder. "We'll figure it out son, don't worry," then turned and left.

Nicole looked at Kyle with great concern. Her special son was hurting and she had no idea how to fix the problem. "Why don't you and Amanda finish watching the movie and we'll talk about this later. Ok?"

"Ok," said Kyle with a defeated smile. He left his door open and walked back into his room.

"I'm so sorry," said Amanda as Kyle climbed back into his tub. "It really was my fault. I shouldn't have attacked you like that."

"No, it's not your fault. You didn't ask to have a boyfriend who blew the fuse box every time you kissed him."

Amanda looked at him skeptically, "We have moved a bit past just kissing Kyle, and you blowing the fuse box isn't exactly an insult."

"Well, kissing you is one of my favorite things," chuckled Kyle. He loved it that they had their own little series of inside jokes.

He couldn't help it. He reached over and pulled Amanda into another kiss.

Regretfully she pushed him away. "Come on Kyle, we have to find a solution to this."

"Just kissing you won't do anything," he said trying not to sound depressed. "This really shouldn't be this hard."

Amanda couldn't help it. She burst into laughter at his innocent misnomer.

"What?" he asked, then noticed where Amanda's eyes had traveled. He turned bright red.

"Oh, don't be embarrassed. I think it's sweet."

Kyle continued to look frustrated.

"Hey, remember. Most people have had their whole lives to try and understand that sort of thing. You've had what, a few years."

"I guess so. It still doesn't make it any less frustrating."

"Well, let's focus on the problem at hand. How are we going to keep you from blowing the fuse box?"

O O O

Stephen and Nicole were sitting in kitchen drinking coffee and quietly chatting.

"I can't believe this is happening," said Stephen with a heavy sigh.

Nicole looked at him in disbelief, "You mean to tell me that after all of the crazy things that we have been through the past few years, you are frustrated by this?"

"You've got a point," he said with a chuckle. "I just wish there was something we could say to help him, I really am at a loss for this one."

"Do you think Adam could help?" she asked.

"Oh, let's just completely mortify Kyle by asking his mentor how we can get him to stop blowing up our fuse box every time he fools around with his girlfriend in his bedroom."

"Maybe you're right," she said with a grin.


End file.
